Scrapbook
by Alma von Arena
Summary: Supposed to help improve, but not really.
1. Spar

"Chaos Spear!" An array of golden projectiles pierced the air, their target a hedgehog in blue.

"You're too slow!" his rival taunted, sidestepping with ease before curling up for a spindash. With quick timing, he also revved up one, both charging up for approximately five seconds before letting loose.

Black and blue clashed at terrifying speed. One easily lost count of how many times they flung themselves at each other relentlessly, whether on the ground or in the air.

A lucky hit. The cocky hero doubled over in pain, but he was up again in a flash. Without the need for spindashes this time, they clashed once more.

Bruises, scratches, the occasional scorch mark from a Chaos Spear; minor injuries that could be easily overlooked. Both were still going strong, their stamina nowhere near depleted.

"How long have we been doing this?" He grunted as he fended off a kick that quite literally would have broken his jaw if it impacted before answering.

"It's only been ten minutes, hedgehog. Save your breath."

"Ten minutes? Are you serious?" He didn't answer; instead he sent a volley of Chaos Spears at his gobsmacked blue counterpart. Blue dodged, naturally, and attempted a Homing Attack, one that hit its mark.

So far, this was the longest they'd managed to go before one of the others intervened. They didn't approve of the sparring matches, for whatever reason. Luckily, he'd found a place where they couldn't intervene today, much to his rival's delight. Today, their only witness would be the sun glaring down at them.

An hour passed, and both hedgehogs eventually gave in to exhaustion, using a nearby tree as shelter. A familiar engine sound shattered the silence.

"Hmph. So they did find us after all." he muttered, preparing to jet before the biplane could land. Blue obviously felt the same, since sparring was the only thing killing the boredom these days.

Upon landing, something pink and furry sprung out of the craft and latched itself onto his rival, "Sonic!" Unfortunately, the pink nuisance wasn't the only one here, as the plane's pilot, one Miles Prower, better known as Tails, hopped out and walked up to them.

"Agh, Amy, get off of me!" After struggling for a minute, Sonic finally managed to wrench the girl off of him, dusting himself as if she'd left cooties on him. She huffed and made a pouty face, but left the blue hero alone.

"Why on Earth do you two always sneak off? If you want a fight so badly, go use one of Eggman's old bases!" Tails started, glaring daggers at the two semi-bruised hedgehogs, "At least his robots are hardly a challenge compared to what you two do when you fight!"

They looked at each other. They'd recovered enough that they could just run off, considering both were already tired of the lectures...

"Well? What do you two have to say for yourselves? Are you going to let us fix you up, or are you going to be stubborn today?" the kitsune queried, cerulean irises burning holes into them.

As if their minds were one, they took off at the same time, raising plumes of dust from the dry ground.

"Ugh...Here we go again." Tails groaned, returning to the plane to chase the two supersonic hedgehogs down once more.

**Author's Note: The characters were a tad OOC, but in the end I just went with it.**

**Criticism is welcome with open arms.**


	2. Guardian

2: Guardian

Left fist. Right fist. Duck. Uppercut. Jump. Spindash. Repeat.

His adversary's forces dwindled rapidly as white-gloved fists flew furiously, adding to the growing pile of scrap metal. The determined glare in violet irises dared his foe to make a move on the altar while he fought, that mistake already made once or twice. A Pawn was flung at the windshield of the Egg-Mobile in response.

The Pawns were all taken care of in mere minutes; the "genius" who sicced them on him next. He'd teach that man not to set foot on his island, not to lay so much as a finger on the Emerald.

Strange that the blue moron hadn't jumped in yet. Normally the moment the Doctor's presence was made known, that hedgehog would intervene instantly, often with Tails at his side. It didn't matter; he could easily take Eggman on without help.

Unlike the robots, their master was a wily one, a much tougher opponent to land blows on. Contrary to what everyone believed, he could think of a proper strategy besides lash out blindly. Observe the opponent's moves and plan accordingly.

Machine guns whirred to life, and bullets spewed from the twin barrels. On reflex, he evaded, subconsciously drawing power from the jewel he guarded as he worked to reach the hovercraft. He was about to lunge when he got close enough, but the Doctor's aircraft suddenly shook violently, the engine sputtering as a familiar blue body landed beside him.

Clearly outmatched, Eggman retreated, muttering curses over the sound of the damaged vehicle. Sonic turned to face him, a grin plastered onto the peach muzzle. No dialogue was exchanged for the longest time.

"You're welcome." And where the hero had just been standing became empty, just like that. He scratched his head at first, but thought nothing of it and went back to the altar, glancing back at the Emerald on occasion.

Was it really worth spending most of his days alone?


	3. Black

3. Black

* * *

****Darkness. It stretched endlessly, far beyond his range of vision.

He refused to admit it, but he was lost, confused. Why did everything that happened happen? They'd arrested the professor, shot and killed the girl he considered his sister, but why?

It didn't make sense.

What he'd been able to figure out while trying to escape with her was that they were after him. What had he done wrong? Surely it wasn't because he was created to be the Ultimate Lifeform, a living weapon?

Then it clicked. It wasn't just that he was a living weapon... the fact that he even existed, was brought to the living by means other than natural birth, like other anthros, was what brought them to the colony.

He shivered, despite being within the depths of his subconscious, the one place that wasn't completely numb yet. The prison they constructed for him was gut-wrenchingly cold.

The silence was maddening; time seemed to slow to a crawl. Questions began to drift lazily through his train of thought, as the world around him blurred from... drowsiness?

It didn't matter if he fell asleep now. It would be a dreamless one, akin to what he was already experiencing. Perhaps he'd be free soon, free to properly mourn the loss of his home and family...


	4. Rebuild

**A/N: Story is set after Heroes.**

Never underestimate a bee, regardless of age.

That was his thought after that brat - Charmy, was it? - got angry over the Chaotix's not being paid and subsequently attacked him.

No matter. Those would heal after a dose of his special healing agent, which was locked away in a vault. Goodness knows what would happen if that accursed blue hedgehog or his friends found it, and he shuddered at the thought. They already healed fast enough as it was.

What's more, there was also Metal Sonic's betrayal, which he planned to correct once he finished moving to his new base. Couldn't have that happening again...

****It truly did suck being a villain sometimes, but persistence is the key to eventual victory. It merited a grin under that scruffy mustache of his.


	5. Interview

"What was your past like?"

He laughed it off and gave it his usual, "I always look forward to the future. Why live life with regrets?"

In truth, he really didn't remember anymore. He'd stayed true to his answer for so long that it eventually faded into nothing.

Not that it mattered. All that does now is the present.

"Aw, come on. That's what you tell everyone who asks!"

Like a certain rival of his, he crossed his arms jokingly. "Hey, I'm not like Shadow." And he wasn't. His ideals remained firm.

"Well, the interview was great and all, but I've got places to be," he said. Arms back at his sides once more, and a cocky smile lining one side of his muzzle, he was gone, kicking up dust everywhere.

He kicked it up a notch, the surrounding terrain blurring into nothing but color.


End file.
